Weekend warriors lose just as much weight as regular exercisers, study suggests

Working out just one to two days per week can be as effective at losing weight as working out every day.

‘Weekend warriors,’ people who cram exercise into one or two sessions per week as opposed to working out a little every day, had similar decreases in abdominal fat, waist circumference and body mass index to those who hit the gym on a regular basis. 

While most studies have examined the link between exercise and weight, which is not always an accurate interpretation of health, this study is the first of its kind to look at the link between patterns of physical activity and the actual amount of fat on a person’s body.

Lihua Zhang, assistant professor at the National Center of Cardiology Disease in China and study author, said: ‘The weekend warrior pattern is worth promoting in individuals who cannot meet the recommended frequency in current guidelines.’

People who cram exercise into one or two sessions had similar decreases in abdominal fat, waist circumference and BMI as those who exercised regularly

World Health Organization guidelines recommend adults get 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous physical activity. 

But many find it difficult to fit this in between work and family obligations. 

Zhang pointed to office workers, bus drivers and other employees who have to sit for many hours during the day. 

She said: ‘Those people are struggling to catch up in their exercise plan in daily life to offset the hazard of a sedentary lifestyle but have less free time to get to the gym.

‘Our study could offer them an alternative choice to keep fit.’

Activities such as climbing, hiking, cycling or running are all suitable for weekend warriors, she added.

Researchers used data from more than 9,600 participants in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 

Data from 2011 to 2018 was studied, including people who ranged in age from 20 to 59 years old.

Excess fat in the abdominal region and general excess fat across the body were assessed using a non-invasive and easily accessible body composition scan.

Similar to an x-ray, it provides images of fat tissue, lean mass and bone density.

Physical activity levels were collected from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and classified as inactive, weekend warrior and regularly active.

Results showed that 772 participants reported a ‘weekend warrior’ exercise regimen and 3,277 reported being ‘regularly active.’ 

Among the group that only exercised one to two days per week, the workouts were harder, longer and more intense. 

Compared to the 5,580 inactive participants, both the weekend warrior and regularly active groups had lower measurements of abdominal fat, waist circumference, whole-body fat mass and BMI.

People in these two groups were younger, more likely to be non-Hispanic White, have higher educational backgrounds, and were less likely to be unemployed or have hypertension or diabetes. 

Dr Beverly Tchang, assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who was not involved with the study, said: ‘On a high level, this study reaffirms the old adage about physical activity and health: any activity is better than no activity. 

‘Notably, the weekend warriors’ workout was of higher intensity and longer duration, and more intensity and longer duration correlated with even lower abdominal fat.

‘The main takeaway, though, is that people should be active in any manner that suits their lifestyle.’

The study was published in the journal Obesity.